Prasna Upanishad

1. Then Sukesan Bharadvaja asked him, ‘Blessed one,
Hiranyanabha, a king’s son of Kosala, came to me and asked
this question: “Bharadvaja, do you know the person with
sixteen parts?”

‘I told the prince, “I do not know him. If I had known
him, how could I not have told you? The one who speaks
falsehood withers up, root and all, so I may not speak
falsehood.” He fell silent, mounted his chariot and went
away. So I ask you the same: where is this person?’

2. He told him, ‘Good man, the person in whom the sixteen
parts arise is here, inside this body.

3. ‘He thought, “What needs to have departed for me to
have departed? What needs to have stayed for me to stay?”

4. ‘He created breath: from breath, faith, space, air, light,
water, earth and the senses, mind, and food: from food
came strength, heat {tapas), the mantras, work, the worlds,
and in the worlds, name.

5. ‘Just as the flowing rivers, heading towards the ocean,
once they have reached the ocean disappear? their name
and form are broken up, and it is just called “ocean”?the
sixteen parts of the seer, heading towards the person, disappear?their name and form are broken up, and it is just
called “person”. This is without parts, immortal. There is a
verse about it:

6. ‘Know the person who is to be known?
In whom the parts are fixed
Like spokes in a chariot’s wheel-hub?
That death may not trouble you.’

7. Pippalada said to them, ‘This is as much as I know of
the supreme brahman. There is nothing higher than this.’

8. Praising him, they said: ‘You are our father, who bring
us across to the far side of ignorance.’
Praise to the supreme Rsis! Praise to the supreme Rsis!
OM. Gods, may we hear good fortune with our ears!
You worthy of sacrifice, may we see good fortune with
our eyes!

Having praised you with bodies strong of limb,
May we attain, life long, what is ordained by the gods!
May Indra, of great swiftness,
May Pusan, the all-knowing,
May Tarksya Aristanemi,
May Brhaspati ordain well-being for us!

OM. Peace, peace, peace.